Norman DeValois "Norm" Dicks (b. December 16, 1940) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Washington. Dicks represented the 6th congressional district of Washington from 1976-2013. He did not run for re-election in 2012.[1]

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2011-12

Issues

Investigation

Along with six other members of a the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on defense, which controls Pentagon spending, Dicks fell under scrutiny by ethics investigators in fall 2009. Two separate ethics offices are examining the seven lawmakers who helped steer federal funds to clients of the PMA Group. The lawmakers under scrutiny, John P. Murtha (D-Penn.), Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Dicks, Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) , Bill Young (R-Fla.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), also received campaign contributions from the firm and its clients.[4]

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Dicks voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]

Analysis

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Dicks paid his congressional staff a total of $1,079,103 in 2011. Overall, Washington ranked 18th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[8]

Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Dicks' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $432,007 to $980,000. That averages to $1,412,007, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[9]

Political positions

Voting with party

November 2011

Dicks voted with the Democratic Party 92.4% of the time, which ranked 104 among the 192 House Democratic members as of November 2011.[10]